


Syllabus for ISS 501 – Foundations for Interspecies Studies

by carnationsandrobots, MlleMusketeer



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Course Syllabus, Gen, Meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 16:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6292150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carnationsandrobots/pseuds/carnationsandrobots, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MlleMusketeer/pseuds/MlleMusketeer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Course Description: Interspecies studies are a complex, ever evolving, and frequently fraught field. Despite the tendency of news pundits and politicians to simplify the relationships between the innumerable mammalian species to simple give-and-takes between “predator” and “prey” species, even cursory reflection reveals that a meaningful understanding of social realities requires a much more nuanced theoretical framework. This course is designed to expose students to fundamental theory in interspecies studies and scholarly applications of such theory. Students will be graded on class participation and a final paper.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Syllabus for ISS 501 – Foundations for Interspecies Studies

**DEPARTMENT OF INTERSPECIES STUDIES**

**ZOOTOPIA UNIVERSITY**

Spring 2016

ISS 501 – Foundations for Interspecies Studies

 

Meeting Time/Place: Wednesdays, 4:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., CUB377

Instructor: Patel Foxtrot

Phone: 805-898-4849

E-mail: p.foxtrot@zu.edu

Office Hours: Mondays and Thursdays, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and by appointment

 

**Course Description:** Interspecies studies are a complex, ever evolving, and frequently fraught field. Despite the tendency of news pundits and politicians to simplify the relationships between the innumerable mammalian species to simple give-and-takes between “predator” and “prey” species, even cursory reflection reveals that a meaningful understanding of social realities requires a much more nuanced theoretical framework. This course is designed to expose students to fundamental theory in interspecies studies and scholarly applications of such theory. Students will be graded on class participation and a final paper.

**Readings:**

***** (Readings marked with an asterisk are available on the class Pawster page.)

Jeremy Flights and Lucille Swift, _Trans-speciesism and Socially Created Limitations_ (New Yorkie Press, 2002) ISBN 978-0813816760

Patel Foxtrot, _Sneaky Fox, Quiet Mouse: Accounts of the Complex Dynamics of Species Stereotyping_ (ZU Press, 2009) ISBN 978-0878939664

Harry Furce and Jimmy Sniff, _Activism and Meaning Making: Forging New Interspecies Alliances_ (Hoovard University Press, 2006) ISBN 978-0199737598

Michel Furrcoult, _Biopower and Post-speciesism_ (New Yorkie Press, 1988) ISBN 978-0385334303

Tine M. Gophertoft, _Species Identity: Anthropologies of Belonging and Exclusion_ (Tale University Press, 2000) ISBN 978-0582067219

Esther Hondwolvin, _Marriage and Mating: New Theoretical Foundations_ (ZU Press, 2007) ISBN 978-1616149468

Sheila Longmane, _Maned Lionesses: Confronting Gender Expectations in Metropolitan Spaces_ (Tale University Press, 2011) ISBN 978-0226736402

Mary Oliphantine, _Pseudoscience and Natural History: The Creation of Non-Inclusive Social Structures_ (Ducke University Press, 2001) ISBN 978-0073524214

Harriet Nocturnis, _Liminal Spaces: An Ethnographic Account of Megafauna Working at Zootopia General Hospital_ (Buns Hoppkins University Press, 2004) ISBN 978-0813822068

*Margaret H. Slowfingers, _Politics of the Census: The Forgotten Omnivore_ (Journal of Interspecies Sociology, 2008) ISBN 978-1559634311

Elisa Tammed, _Mammalian Spirit: Embracing Commonality while Acknowledging Genetic Difference_ (Ducke University Press, 2007) ISBN 978-0520272972

Theodosia Westwing, _Instinct or Stereotype? The Insidious Nature of Internalized Stigma_ (Hoovard University Press, 1999) ISBN 978-0230294233

Gertrudis Whalesong and Lucy Volee, _Moving Beyond the False Predator/Prey Binary_ (Tale University Press, 2008) ISBN 978-0393246186

**Participation:** Students will be graded on regular and active participation in class. This is a graduate level course, so attendance is not sufficient to achieve a high participation grade. Meaningful and reflective responses to assigned readings are expected.

**Reading Responses** : Students will turn in two short (2-3pg.) reading responses over the course of the semester, one for the “Theoretical Foundations” section of the class and one for the “Theory Applications and Case Studies” section of the class. Due one week after reading of student’s choice is assigned by email.

**Final Paper:** At the end of the semester, students will turn in a longer (13-15pg.) paper based on class readings (required), original research (required), and a personal narrative (optional). More details on requirements will be disseminated later in the semester. Due April 27 at 11:59 p.m. by email.

**Grading:**

Participation: 40%

                Reading Responses: 20% (10% each)

                Final Paper: 40%

A+ = 100 – 98

| 

B+ = 89.99 – 86

| 

D = 69.99 – 60  
  
---|---|---  
  
A = 97.99 – 92

| 

B = 85.99 – 80

| 

F = 59.99 – 0  
  
A- = 91.99 – 90

| 

C = 79.99 – 70

| 

   
  
 

**Course Policies:** Students are expected to engage with the assigned material and each other in a respectful and thoughtful manner. Students in this class tend to come from a wide variety of epistemological backgrounds, so please keep an open mind to different approaches to the texts and topics discussed in class. For written assignments, proper attribution is a must. Please see the class Pawster site for more details on ZU’s policies on plagiarism and proper citation. Any citation style is acceptable for written assignments, so long as you use it consistently.

**Class Schedule:**

January 13 – Introductions and Overview

Part 1: Theoretical Foundations

January 20 – _Moving Beyond the False Predator/Prey Binary_ , Gertrudis Whalesong and Lucy Volee

January 27 – _Pseudoscience and Natural History: The Creation of Non-Inclusive Social Structures_ , Mary Oliphantine

February 3 – _Biopower and Post-speciesism_ , Michel Furrcoult; _Politics of the Census: The Forgotten Omnivore,_ Margaret H. Slowfingers

February 10 – _Instinct or Stereotype? The Insidious Nature of Internalized Stigma_ , Theodosia Westwing

February 17 – S _pecies Identity: Anthropologies of Belonging and Exclusion,_ Tine M. Gophertoft

February 24 – _Marriage and Mating: New Theoretical Foundations_ , Esther Hondwolvin

Part 2: Theory Application and Case Studies

March 2 – _Trans-speciesism and Socially Created Limitations,_ Jeremy Flights and Lucille Swift

March 9 – _Liminal Spaces: An Ethnographic Account of Megafauna Working at Zootopia General Hospital,_ Harriet Nocturnis

March 16 – Spring Break; No Class

March 23 – _Sneaky Fox, Quiet Mouse: Accounts of the Complex Dynamics of Species Stereotyping_ , Patel Foxtrot

March 30 – _Maned Lionesses: Confronting Gender Expectations in Metropolitan Spaces,_ Sheila Longmane

April 6 – _Activism and Meaning Making: Forging New Interspecies Alliances,_ Harry Furce and Jimmy Sniff

April 13 – _Mammalian Spirit: Embracing Commonality while Acknowledging Genetic Difference,_ Elisa Tammed

April 20 – No Class

April 27 – Final Paper Due

**Author's Note:**

> Less thinly disguised meta may emerge at some point - if/when it emerges a link will be posted here.


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